Chasing Fate
by Francesca Jones
Summary: Maybe fate doesn't exist and there is no destiny, but Rory's not quite ready to believe that. Everything up to Episode 4x04 Chicken or Beef happened. After that, their world becomes mine. And my world is a LIT world. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **As always, I own absolutely nothing.

**A/N: **I just can't stay away from the Gilmore-verse, no matter how hard I try. This is going to be a multi-parter, but it won't be superlong like my other pieces. Enjoy and review.

**Summary:** Maybe fate doesn't exist and there is no destiny, but Rory's not quite ready to believe that. Everything up to Episode 4x04 (Chicken or Beef) happened. After that, their world becomes mine. Heh.

**Chasing Fate**

Rory could feel her face twitching and contorting as her neutral expression turned into a sad frown. Dean and Lindsay looked so happy together as they held onto each other tightly, posing gleefully for photographs. Rory shifted positions fretfully, her tangled emotions not allowing her to remain still.

_Do we ignore fate?_

What was fate anyway? Was everything really predetermined? Was there really the one person you were supposed to be with forever? It seemed almost ridiculous, to think that there was fate, or some fate-like force, messing with her head and making her make the choices she did.

Giving up Dean, had that been fate? Was that what she was meant to do? Because right now, at this very moment, it seemed like fate was fighting against her. There was Dean, and he was married. Married! And happy. With someone who wasn't her. And where was she? Watching his happiness from the camouflage of a tree.

If this was fate's master plan, then Rory had to question its leadership abilities.

But maybe Luke was right. Maybe there was no fate. Maybe every decision she had made, she had done of her own volition. Maybe _she_ screwed up, picked the wrong guy, and had no choice but to pay the penalty for her poor taste in men.

Nothing had ever gone the way she thought it would. She never planned to meet Dean. Before him, going to Harvard had been the extent of her fate. That was what she was meant to do. Then she met him, and almost gave up Chilton to stay near him. Then, though, things went ridiculously awry. She fell in love with him. That wasn't supposed to happen. He was her first boyfriend. You weren't supposed to fall in love with your first boyfriend. She didn't think past college very often, but that didn't mean that she wasn't perfectly aware that it could've been her marrying Dean.

It could've been her. Rory sniffed a little and batted that idea back and forth in her cluttered head. It could be her throwing her life away at the age of nineteen. She shuddered at the thought of throwing everything away for suburban married life. It wasn't her. It wasn't meant to be her.

So what was she meant to do? Whom was she meant to be with? Did she just sit back and let fate take her on its bumpy ride? It wasn't working so well for her mother, who still hadn't found love. At the same time though, Luke didn't believe in fate and he was still all alone.

Maybe the problem was in just sitting around and waiting. Maybe people weren't meant to drum their fingers on countertops in anticipation of the day the perfect person would walk into your life.

Or maybe the perfect person already walked into your life, and then grabbed his leather jacket and took a bus back out of it. Rory cursed herself for letting her mind wander back to Jess, though she seemed perpetually unable to stop it from doing so.

She looked up at the happy couple and their wedding guest, who were making their way to the town square, and closer to her safe haven. Rory backed away quietly, before turning around and breaking into a run in an attempt to get as far away from this idyllic scene as possible.

Rory ran to the nearest familiar structure--the diner-- and hurried inside. She closed the door behind her and took a few deep, gasping breaths to compose herself.

"Rory." Luke said, looking up from the counter. There were no customers in the diner, as most of the town was at Dean's wedding. "Are you OK?"

Rory nodded, still trying to catch her breath. She took a few steps forward and collapsed into a chair. She placed her chin in her hand and stared blankly ahead of her as she processed watching Dean's wedding, and then her terrified and confused run away from the town square.

Luke walked over to the table Rory had claimed for herself and placed a coffee cup in front of her. He moved back behind the counter and retrieved the coffee pot. He poured the steaming liquid into Rory's cup, setting the pot down next to her. He walked back to his original position and picked up his rag, continuing to clean the counter.

Rory took the coffee cup in her hands and drank slowly, noticing that her hands were shaking visibly. "Hey Luke?"

"Yeah?" Luke said, surprised she was speaking to him.

"You really don't believe in fate?" Rory asked, setting the coffee cup down and placing her hands under the table. She could feel her legs shaking under the table as well.

Luke sighed and said, "No. I just…I don't think stuff happens _around_ you. I think people need to make stuff happen." He shrugged and went back to intently cleaning the counter.

"No fate involved whatsoever?" Rory demanded, clasping her hands together underneath the table in an attempt to stop her shaking.

Luke dropped his rag and seemed to think seriously about the question. It always amazed Rory how much more serious and accommodating he could be when her mother wasn't around.

"I don't know. Completely predestined lives? It doesn't sit with me. Maybe there is one purpose in your life though, and it's just up to you how you get there. I don't know." He finished, not looking Rory in the eye. This entire conversation made him extremely uncomfortable.

"So you've got to go after what you want." Rory said, reaching for her coffee cup with a steadier hand.

"Yeah, sure." Luke said. "I've gotta run upstairs for a minute." He walked over to the steps, clearly desperate to be rid of this conversation.

"You owe me!" Rory's pleading voice caught him off-guard and he stumbled back around. "What?"

"You asked me not to go to Dean's wedding, and I did. No questions asked, just accepting that you had your reasons because I've known you for a long time and you looked serious." Rory said, standing.

"Yeah…" Luke said, confused.

"Look at me. Do I look serious?" Rory asked, gesturing to her mirthless face.

Luke nodded. "Yeah." He said, still confused.

"That's because I am. I'm going to ask you to do something, and I need you to do

it…no questions asked."

Luke nodded, now concerned by the desperate tone in Rory's voice. "Sure, Rory.

What?"

"Where's Jess?" Rory asked quietly.

Luke's eyes widened. Of all the questions Rory could've asked, that was not the

one he expected to hear come from her mouth.

"Rory…" Luke started, taking off his baseball cap and rubbing his head.

"No questions asked!" Rory exclaimed, growing more upset by the moment.

"It's not that…" Luke started. He sighed, deflating. "I don't know."

"Oh." Rory said quietly, looking down at the floor. "OK. I don't know what I was thinking anyway. It was just a stupid whim thing. It doesn't matter. Forget it." She turned towards the diner door as she continued her disappointed babbling.

"Rory!" Luke said. He still hadn't moved from his position at the foot of stairs, not sure if closing the gap between himself and the young woman would be a good idea.

"Yeah?" Rory asked, turning around. She tucked her hair behind her ears uncomfortably, confused briefly by the length until she remembered hacking it all off in an attempt to start over.

"I can find out." Luke said. Seeing the hope flicker in Rory's eyes, he quickly amended his statement, "I can _try_…to find out."

Rory smiled and nodded sadly. "Thanks." She said quietly. She put a hand on the diner door to leave, then said, "Oh, and Luke?"

"Don't worry." Luke said with a small nod. "I won't mention it to your mother."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **As always, I own absolutely nothing.

**A/N: **Here we are again. Thanks for all the reviews! I was really surprised by how many people are intrigued by this story. I hope you continue to enjoy. Right now, I'm predicting about 7 or 8 chapters total. (Told ya it would be short!). OK, enjoy!

**Chasing Fate--Chapter 2**

Lorelai walked into the diner and walked over to the counter. Luke was standing with the phone between his ear and his shoulder. He was wearing a frustrated scowl along with his trademark baseball cap and flannel shirt.

"No, actually, that's _completely_ unhelpful." He growled, walking over to the wall and hanging up the phone.

"What are you doing?" Lorelai asked, peering over the counter. Luke had a few pieces of paper with numbers on them as well as a few phonebooks lying open.

Luke looked up quickly at Lorelai, noticing her sitting there for the first time. "Oh, I'm trying to get in touch with my sister, and like Liz herself, it's proving difficult." He tried to mask his discomfort by looking busy. He crumpled up a piece of paper that proved useless and grabbed a cup for Lorelai.

"To go, actually." Lorelai said, setting her purse down. "It's gonna be a crazy day. Inn stuff." She said with a proud nod.

Luke really looked at her for the first time and nodded. "Of course. You're in your "serious" attire."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lorelai asked, bringing her hand to her chest in fake anguish.

Luke nodded at her and said, "The glasses."

"These are not "serious."" Lorelai said, pushing up her glasses. "They're a fashion statement."

"Glasses are not a fashion statement." Luke retorted, switching the mug for a paper to-go cup. "They're meant to improve your vision, and nothing more."

"Luke, _anything_ can be a fashion accessory if it's cute enough!" Lorelai exclaimed brightly.

"Could this coffee pot be a fashion statement?" Luke asked sarcastically, picking up the pot and pouring the coffee.

"For you, yes." Lorelai said. Changing gears, she asked, "Why are you looking for Liz?"

Luke sighed, and moved towards another customer to fill coffee as he spoke. He was attempting to be as casual about this as possible. "It's been awhile since I've talked to her, and there's just some…family stuff we need to deal with."

Lorelai tilted her head to the side. "Is everything OK?"

"Yeah!" Luke said, a little too quickly. "Everything's fine. I just need to talk to her, but Liz…she can be nomadic, especially since she sent Jess here. No telling where she is."

Lorelai stiffened visibly at Jess's name, but there was no reason to touch on that subject. "And you have no idea where she is?"

Luke shrugged. "My cousin Vinnie-."

Before he could get any farther than that, Lorelai started laughing. "Oh my God, did you really just say that?"

"Sorry, forgot who I was talking to." Luke quipped. "Vinnie, my Aunt Janine's son, said something about a Renaissance Fair. I don't know if that means she went to one, that she's following them like some sort of Renaissance groupie, or that at some point in history, a Renaissance Fair occurred someplace in the world. Vinnie's not exactly a wordsmith."

"Renaissance Fairs?" Lorelai asked, wrinkling up her nose. "Why would Liz be there?"

Luke raised his hands and said, "I don't even want to _think_ about it."

Lorelai frowned, "I've gotta run, but I hope you find her. Let me know what happens?"

"Yeah." Luke said. "I'm sure you'll hear about it."

Lorelai walked away, and Luke shook his head. He sighed. He wanted to do this for Rory, but it was proving more difficult than he thought it would. He thought Jess was with his father, but was in no way sure about that fact. Not that he would even know how to get in touch with Jimmy anyway. And now Liz was MIA too. He was at a stalemate. He didn't know what he could possibly do to find him. He'd done all that he could, called every relative he could think of, and even subjected himself to speaking to Liz's old landlord.

Luke sighed and closed all the phonebooks in front of him. He grabbed his coffee pot and went to fill cups for his customers. There was nothing else he could do to find Jess, at least not right now.

"Coffee, Kirk?" Luke asked, walking up to where he sat alone at a table.

"Half caf, please." Kirk said.

Luke nodded. "Moving up from quarter-caf, huh?"

Kirk shrugged and nodded. "Mother's very proud."

Luke shook his head and poured half a cup of coffee into it. "I'll be back with the decaf."

Luke had his back to the door as he grabbed the orange-handled pot. From behind him, he heard the bell about the door jingle.

"Big brother!" A high, female voice screeched.

Luke stiffened in shock. No way. That wasn't even possible. Luke turned around and there was his sister, standing there in her old, torn jeans and a gauzy, green shirt with bell sleeves. Her blonde hair was shorter than it was the last time he saw her, but that was a few years previous.

"Liz!" Luke said, still not quite believing that his sister was standing in front of him. He walked over to Kirk's table and placing the decaf coffee pot there. He walked over to his sister and stared at her in complete disbelief.

"In the flesh. Give me a hug!" Liz said, diving at Luke. She hugged him tightly, receiving an awkward, half-hearted hug from her still-confused brother.

"Well, to some people that might constitute a hug." Liz said, pulling away and smiling.

"Liz…I…You…" Luke sighed in exasperation at his inability to form a complete thought. "Go upstairs and wait for me, huh? I'll be there in a sec."

"Sure." Liz said, her smile still wide. She walked over to the counter. "Cesar! Looking good!" She shouted as she walked up the stairs.

Cesar looked up, confused. "Was that Liz?" He asked, confused. "You found her?"

"Yeah." Luke said, staring at the empty stairwell. "But she found me, I guess. Take care of things for a little while, ok Cesar?"

Luke jogged quickly up the stairs and walked into his apartment. Liz was looking around the place with a sense of awe.

"Man, you've got this place looking good, big brother." Liz said, looking around. "It really looks great." She stopped in front of him and said, "And you. You look great too."

"Thanks." Luke said, still staring at his sister like she was an apparition.

"And me? Don't I look good?" Liz asked, gesturing to herself.

"Yeah, Liz. You do." Luke said, more to appease her than anything else. "I've been trying to find you, Liz. But your landlord said you moved out."

"You talked to Big Sal?" Liz asked, looking touched.

"Big Sal wasn't in, but Little Sal was very unhelpful." Luke said, sitting down at the table.

"Little Sal." Liz said, reminiscing. "We dated. He had an odd smell. Wait, you were looking for me? That's so sweet!"

"Where've you been, Liz?" Luke asked, trying to veer the subject away from his search for his sister.

"Ah!" Liz said, with a proud smile. She pushed her hair back and revealed the crystal and beaded earrings that she was wearing.

"You've been living in…earrings?" Luke asked, as confused by his sister as he always was.

"No!" Liz said, still extremely upbeat. "I'm making jewelry, and I'm good at it!"

"And this is a career?" Luke asked skeptically.

"Yeah!" Liz said. "I have a booth on the Renaissance Fair circuit. They go _crazy_ for my stuff. That's what I'm doing here! There's a fair in Woodbury this week."

Luke nodded, finally making a connection in his mind. "And now the conversation with Vinnie makes sense."

"You talked to Vinnie?" Liz asked. "You _hate_ talking to Vinnie! Wow, you really wanted to find me. Is everything OK?" Liz asked, suddenly concerned. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah." Luke nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good." Liz said. The two fell into an awkward silence, Liz looking around the apartment while Luke fixated on the table.

"So…" Liz said, "Why have you been looking for me, brother-of-mine?"

"Geez," Luke said with a sigh. He hadn't anticipated this being so hard. "I'm trying to…Do you know the Gilmores?"

Liz tilted her head to the side. "What's a Gilmore?" She asked.

"Lorelai and Rory. They live here. I've mentioned them." Luke said.

Liz smiled and shrugged. "OK, if you say so."

"Anyway, Lorelai is a…friend of mine, and Rory is her daughter. Rory dated Jess."

Liz's eyes lit up. "Oh, I knew there was a girl! He wouldn't say there was a girl, but I _knew_ there was a girl!"

"So you've heard from him?" Luke asked, leaning forward.

"Couple times." Liz shrugged. "He sent me a letter. He's with his Dad. My kid in California, can you believe that? And he called once, right before I moved from the old place. And don't worry, he thinks the Renaissance thing is crazy too. It's not just you. Hey, why do you care anyway? You kicked him out."

Luke sighed, "He got himself kicked out. He flunked out of school to work at Wal-Mart."

Liz waved that off. "He's stubborn. He's got his own ideas about what's right for him." Off of Luke's look she continued, "Fine, he's a pain in the ass but he's not your problem anymore. You tried, it's over now. So what's the big deal? And why are you bringing up the girl?"

Luke sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Do you believe in fate, Liz?" He asked.

"Of course I do!" Liz answered immediately. "Everything happens for a reason, big brother. And some things are the universe's way of telling us what we don't want to see." Liz said it definitively, and Luke wasn't at all surprised by her sure tone. Liz was flaky, but no one could shake her beliefs.

"Luke," Liz said with a smile as she watched her brother digest her answer. "What's going on with you, huh? You don't believe in fate, and Jess drove you crazy while he was here."

"He's still driving me crazy!" Luke said with a shake of his head. "Rory wants to know where he is. I don't know why, but she walks in here one day all upset and asking me about fate. Then, out of nowhere she asks where Jess is. I told her I'd try to find out where he was."

Liz leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "Huh." She said with a small smirk. "And you agreed?"

Luke nodded. "When you meet Rory, you'll understand. You'd like her. She's a good kid. I've…I've known her a long time."

"And she misses Jess?" Liz asked, wrinkling up her nose in confusion. "Has she _met_ Jess?"

Luke smirked. "I don't know. I don't know if she misses him or wants to flay him alive for hurting her or what."

Liz shrugged, "Well, I guess I can give her his address in Venice Beach, if he says it's OK, that is."

Luke looked at her disbelievingly and she said, "He's my kid, Luke! I realize I'm never going to be Mom of the Year, but he left for a reason, right? I'll call him. I'll ask. And if this girl's as special as you say she is, he'll say yes, right?"

Luke just shrugged and nodded, "Yeah, I guess." He leaned back in his chair and said, "So, Renaissance Fairs, huh?"

Liz smiled, "Yeah, Renaissance Fairs."

**  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Nope, I own nothing. The money I make does not come from my stories. Maybe one day though...

**A/N: **Thanks for all the really positive reviews I've been getting! I've been trying a new sort of style for this story, and I'm glad it's being well-recieved. And now, the third installment of Chasing Fate!

**Chasing Fate--Chapter 3**

His pants were on the floor across the room.

That was the only thought running through Jess's head as he lay curled up on his mattress, warm and content under the comforter. Before he could actually leave the room to answer the phone call that--for some reason beyond his comprehension--was for him, he'd have to get out of his warm quasi-bed and put on his pants.

"Jess!" Jimmy banged on the door again. "Phone!"

"Alright!" Jess grumbled, rolling off the bed and onto the floor. He stared up at the ceiling for a second and then pushed himself off the hard, wooden floor with his hands. He adjusted his boxers and pulled on his jeans. He sleepily pulled up the zipper, but made no attempt to button them. He looked around, his eyes half-closed with sleep. A dirty, once white T-shirt crossed his line of vision and he put it on, not realizing it was inside out.

Jimmy was sitting in the kitchen and he had his feet on the table. A book hid his face and the phone sat next to his legs. He lowered the book and motioned to the phone with one foot. It sat on the table next to him. "She called twice yesterday too. Make her stop before Sasha kills me, kay?"

Jess raised his eyebrows. "She?" He asked, confused.

Jimmy closed his book, put it on the table, and stood. "Liz." He said simply, walking out of the room.

Jess sighed. "Geez." He mumbled, picking up the phone. "Seven in the morning, Liz." He said, collapsing into the kitchen chair.

"Sorry, kiddo, I always forget about the time difference!" Liz chirped cheerfully.

"I know." Jess said. "What do you want?"

"Now is that anyway to talk to your mother?" Liz demanded with a hint of teasing in her voice.

Jess sighed impatiently. "Liz…" He said, annoyed.

"So how's California?" Liz asked, ignoring his annoyance.

"Hot." Jess said shortly. After a second, he added, "Not bad."

"Good." Liz said sincerely, "Glad to hear it."

"Is this really why you called three times, Liz?" Jess asked impatiently. With his mother, there was no telling whether or not she was calling on a whim just to chat.

"No!" Liz said, as though it was obvious. "Though is it really so silly to want to talk to my son?"

"Geez." Jess said, exasperated. "So many comments, so little desire to prolong this conversation."

"Well someone isn't a morning person." Liz teased, not losing her happy tone.

Jess sighed. "Isn't this long-distance for you, Liz?"

"Nope!" Liz exclaimed. "It's long-distance for Luke!"

Jess felt his jaw clenching. "You're in Stars Hollow." He stated.

"Yeah." Liz said. "There's a Fair in Woodbury, so I'm visiting the brother."

"Huh." Jess said, opening the book that Jimmy had left on the table. He began to read lazily as Liz babbled about Renaissance Fairs and Luke. Suddenly though, the name 'Rory' broke through the haze of Liz's drivel.

"Wait, what are you yammering about?" Jess interrupted her in the middle of a sentence.

"Rory." Liz said, and Jess could practically hear the smile in his mother's voice. "_You_ weren't listening to me, young man."

"Don't play mommy right now, Liz." Jess said, feeling his muscles tense. He closed the book and pushed it away. He couldn't read right now. "What about Rory? How the Hell do you know Rory?"

"I don't know Rory." Liz responded. "Though I'd like her, according to Luke."

"You would like her." Jess said quietly. Then he sighed again. "What about Rory?" A wave of almost-panic washed over him. "Something happen to her?" He asked as casually as he could.

"Oh, knock off the James Dean act, kiddo. I know you're sweet on her." Liz declared, proud of the knowledge.

Jess clenched his teeth together. _Thank you Luke_. "That's over." He said simply.

"She wants to talk to you." Liz said. "I have your address and everything, just wanted to get my baby boy's go-ahead before I gave it to her."

"You wanted my permission first?" Jess questioned, disbelievingly. Out of all the new information reeling quickly through his mind, that fact surprised him the most.

"Yeah. I figured you left for a reason, might as well see if you wanted to talk to the girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend. Whatever. Just a formality, I guess. So, address to the chicky, right?" Liz finished.

"No." Jess said shortly.

"No?" Liz asked, confused.

"No." Jess repeated. "I don't want to talk to her."

"Oh…" Liz said, still confused. "Alright."

"I mean it, Liz." Jess said sternly.

"Hey, I called and asked for a reason. No worries, kid" Liz said, brightly.

"Alright." Jess said. "Well-."

"Do you believe in fate, Jess?" Liz asked, cutting off whatever he was about to say.

"Nope." Jess said, getting ready to hang up.

"Do you believe in anything?" His mother asked with a sigh.

Jess actually thought about this question for a moment. There was a real answer, but it was long, complicated, and not something he was going to share with his mother.

"Nope." He said, again. "Bye, Liz."

Jess hung up the phone. He grabbed an apple from the bowl and put his legs up on the table. He took a bite of his apple and thought long and hard. Rory wanted to talk to him. "Huh." He mumbled to himself through a bite of apple.

Sasha walked into the kitchen. She playfully slapped Jess on the back of his head as she walked over to the sink, prompting him to put his feet back on the floor. "Herbal tea, doll face?" She asked, filling the kettle.

"Yeah." Jess said, taking another bite of his apple.

"That was your mother?" Sasha asked.

"Yeah." Jess said again.

Sasha put the kettle on the stove and sat down at the table. "What'd she want?"

"My permission to give my ex-girlfriend my address here." Jess said, still chewing on a piece of apple.

"Wow." Sasha said. "That's all sorts of out of the blue."

Jess nodded, and Sasha smiled at him. "You said no."

Jess looked up at her. "How do you _do_ that?"

Sasha shrugged, wearing a wide grin. Jess had learned not to question her all-knowingness over his time with her and Jimmy. She was an outgoing woman, but the one thing she liked to remain quiet about was her uncanny ability to read situations and people.

Jess sighed and put the apple down. "Do you believe in fate, Sasha?" He asked curiously.

Sasha nodded. "Yeah, I do. Everything happens for a reason. Like me meeting Jimmy, or you tracking us down and coming here. Fate. Through and through."

Jess nodded, taking in Sasha's words.

"What about you, doll face?" Sasha asked, studying him. "Do you believe in fate?"

Jess shrugged. "Guess I'm on the fence."

The kettle started to whistle and Sasha stood. "You'll see, doll. When you least expect it, bam! Fate's slapping you in the face."

"Better fate than some girl." Jess said.

Sasha poured hot water into mugs with tea bags in them and placed one in front of Jess. "You miss the girl." Sasha said simply.

Jess just shrugged and dipped his tea bag up and down in the hot water.

"So…why'd you say no if she wants to talk?" Sasha demanded, not bothering to dance around the subject.

Jess shrugged again. He knew the answer. He didn't know what to say to Rory, didn't know how to force himself to talk to her.

Sasha smirked and stood, holding her mug. "I swear, kid." She said knowingly. "Once you finally figure out what you want to say, we'll never be able to shut you up." She walked out of the room.

Jess took a sip of his tea and shook his head. "How the Hell does she do that?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **As always, I own absolutely nothing.

**A/N: **Hee. I'm having so much fun writing this. I hope you're having fun reading it. Enjoy and review.

**Chasing Fate--Chapter 4**

"Mom!" Rory said, walking into the house. No response came, and Rory walked into her bedroom, placing her laptop bag down on her bed. She walked into the kitchen and called again, "Mom!"

Rory walked over to the refrigerator and saw a note held up with a magnet that was shaped like Tweety Bird. _Rory, In Hartford doing stuff for the inn. I'll meet you at my parents' house for dinner. Love, Mom. P.S. Try to do something besides study_.

Rory opened the refrigerator and debated going down to the diner. It'd been almost three weeks since she'd been home for Dean's wedding, and she hadn't seen Luke to find out anything. She thought about calling him several times, but talking to Luke on the phone just seemed like a level of awkward that she didn't want to encounter.

She took out a can of soda and sat at the kitchen table while she thought. By now Luke would have an answer-- he either knew where Jess was or he didn't. Either way, Rory was ready to do something. She was ready to take a bold step and seek him out, or she was ready to get over him completely. She was ready to take whatever next step she had to, and she just wanted to know what step that happened to be.

Rory opened her soda and took a sip as she pondered. She decided that she'd relax for a little while, get her laptop set up in her room for the weekend, and then go down to the diner and talk to Luke.

Rory stood and walked into her room. She placed her soda down on her desk and retrieved her laptop from its bag. She put it on her desk and attached the power cord. As she bent over to plug it into the wall, she heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" She called as she stood up.

She walked back into the kitchen as Luke opened the back door and walked into the house. "Luke!" She said, surprised. "I was just about to come down to the diner."

"Hey, Rory." Luke said, uncomfortably. "I didn't know you were home. Is, uh, your mom here? I was looking for her."

Rory shook her head. "No, she's in Hartford."

Luke nodded. "OK. I'll just talk to her later then."

The two stood, avoiding eye contact for a moment before Luke said, "Well, I guess I'll just get going…"

"Wait!" Rory said, surprising both herself and Luke with the urgency in her voice. "I-, well that is to say…did you…you know?" Rory finished, hoping Luke would catch her meaning.

"Oh." Luke said uncomfortably. "Well, you see…" He started. "Jess's mom is in town, actually."

_Jess's mom_. It was an odd thing to think of Jess having a mother. He never, ever mentioned her. Even when he talked about his life in New York, his mother never made her way into the conversation. "And she…knew?" Rory asked, swallowing nervously.

Luke nodded. "Yeah. She, well, she called him. He's with his dad, which I kind of thought I knew. Asked if it was, you know, OK for you to contact him. Why she chose now to be a mom is beyond me, but…He said no, Rory." Luke blurted at the end of his halting speech.

Rory frowned, letting his words wash over her. "Oh." She said, finding that she needed to sit down. "Oh. He doesn't want to…oh." She repeated.

"I'm sorry." Luke said quietly, still standing awkwardly.

Rory shook her head and looked up at him. There were no tears in her eyes, but that did nothing to take away from the hurt look on her face. "Don't be." She said. "I'm sorry that I asked you to do it. It was just a dumb…"

"Whim." Luke finished, using her word from the diner.

"Yeah." Rory said. "A dumb whim."

"OK." Luke said. "I'm gonna go."

Rory nodded distractedly. "Thanks, Luke. For…indulging me."

Luke shrugged. "I…" He wanted to tell her that he did it for him as much as for her, on some silly notion that maybe this could prove fate's existence to him. It seemed like to profound of a discussion to get into though, especially since Jess had gone and proved that there was no such thing as fate to everybody. "I'll see you later."

Rory attempted a smile as Luke walked out the door. As soon as it closed behind him, Rory put her head in her hands and sighed deeply. She didn't cry. This wasn't a crying matter by any stretch of the imagination. It was just a quietly tragic matter that needed to be put behind her immediately. She had tried. She tried to see if maybe there was something out there that she was missing. That wasn't true. She _knew_ something was missing. She just wanted to know if maybe it had something to do with Jess. Now she had her answer. What they had was done. There was no great force leading her along like a dog on a leash. Everything was up to her. Jess was gone. She was alone…for now. She'd find someone else. _She'd_ find him. The universe would have nothing to do with her next relationship, just as it seemed that it had no bearing on her past relationships as well.

Rory sighed and stood. She had a few hours before Friday night dinner, and she could get some good work done on her review for the paper before then. She walked back into her room and hooked up her internet cable. She pulled out all her notes on the play she was reviewing. She wanted to start the piece with a quote from Dante's Inferno, but she'd left the paper with the quote on it in her dorm. Annoyed at herself, Rory typed in the address of a search engine. It was only after she pressed SEARCH that she realized that she'd typed "Dante's Inferno + quoted" instead of "Dante's Inferno + quotes." She sighed and hoped that it would give her the result she needed anyway.

Rory's eyes skimmed the results for her search. She was about to click on the first link when she noticed one of the ones towards the bottom of the page. It seemed to be a newspaper article, and the search engine had come up with the text _The original **Dante's Inferno** opened in 1922…new owner Jimmy Mariano is **quoted**…._

Rory's heart leapt into her throat as she impulsively clicked on the link. It was, in fact, a newspaper article from a paper in Santa Monica. Rory read the article, which talked about Jimmy Mariano, who had restored the old Dante's Inferno hot dog stand to its original glory.

It was ridiculous, and Rory _knew_ it was ridiculous. Mariano may not have been an overly common name, but it was in no way unique to Jess and his mystery father. There was no way that she had just, by way of a mere spelling error, stumbled upon the general location of Jess's father, and therefore Jess. There was _no way_ that this man was Jess's father.

Rory looked at the pictures that accompanied the article. The first was a black and white picture of the stand during its original run in the 20s. The next picture was of the stand now, with the owner standing in front of it. The caption read, _Dante's Inferno owner Jimmy Mariano, a native of Venice Beach, in front of the stand on a normal business day._

Rory was struck with a strange feeling of familiarity as she looked at the photo. The man didn't resemble Jess, but there was something about the smirk and the awkward, uncomfortable posture that reminded her of Jess when people were paying too much attention to him.

Rory knew that she was reaching, searching for something that wasn't actually there. She wanted to see some proof that this man _was _Jess's father, so she was inventing similarities between them. There was _no way_ that she had just stumbled across an article on Jess's father that gave the _exact_ town he lived in. There was no way.

Rory looked at the picture again, but this time her eyes focused on something else. There were customers in the background of the picture, going about their business normally. There were several people milling around the stand, some with hot dogs and some still in the process of ordering. A few were seated at tables with large umbrellas covering them.

In the very corner of the picture was a boy sitting alone, shoulders hunched as he read a novel, looking ridiculously out of place in his black leather jacket.

Rory swallowed hard. There he was, almost unrecognizable in the background of a photograph, but Rory knew it was him. It was Jess. Through absolutely no fault of her own, she had found him. Even though he had refused, she had still found him.

"Wow." Rory whispered, incapable of any other thought. Still in a complete daze, she walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone. She dialed information numbly. When the operator answered, she said, "I need an address in Venice Beach. The name? Jimmy Mariano. It might be under James. I don't know." Logic slowly returned to Rory as she spoke to the operator.

She searched for a pen, and wrote down the information on the back of her mother's note. She mumbled a thank you and hung up the phone. There it was, staring up at her in her own handwriting. Jess's address and phone number. A way to get in touch with him. Exactly what she'd asked for.

Rory sank into the chair and stared at the address. "Alright, fate." She whispered, talking directly to the culprit in charge of this misadventure. "What now?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **As always, I own absolutely nothing.

**A/N: **Not much to say this time around. Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy!

**Chasing Fate--Chapter 5**

_Dear Jess,_

_Your mom didn't give me your address. I just thought I'd say that first, so you wouldn't think that she deliberately went against your wishes or something. She didn't. I found it by accident. I was searching for quotes from Dante's Inferno and I found this article about your dad and his hot dog stand. So, this was all my doing. Don't blame your mom._

_I don't know why I'm writing this. I don't know what made me want to write to you in the first place. I guess I was just thinking about you. I did that a lot at first--think about you, that is. Right after you left, I thought about you a lot. Once I was in Europe, it got a little easier. By the time I got back to Stars Hollow, it was as if you never even existed. No one mentioned you; there was no trace of you anywhere. Out of sight, out of mind._

_Except that, you weren't out of my mind. You were just pushed to the very back, because that was the only way that I knew how to function. I can pull up things about you without any effort at all. I can remember conversations we had, books we talked about, music we listened to, the shirt you were wearing during our first date, the way your hair felt under my hands (stiff with gel, but still inexplicably soft, in case you were wondering). I kept these memories, because it wasn't that I didn't want them. It just made things easier if I didn't think about them all the time._

_Then Dean got married. I apologize for the lack of transition, but that's just the way it happened. Dean got married and I just couldn't stop thinking. I couldn't stop thinking that it could've been me, but it wasn't-- because of you. You showed me that there was more to life than what I had with Dean. That had to have happened for a reason. You came into my life for a reason. I believe that, I think. I guess I've just been thinking about why lately. Why were you sent to Stars Hollow when you did? Why did we crash my car? Why did I kiss you at Sookie's wedding? Why did our relationship fail when it started out so good? I don't know the answers to any of these questions, but that hasn't stopped me from thinking about them endlessly, from thinking about you. _

_Do you believe in fate, Jess? It's a silly question, and you probably don't. It's on the list of things I've been thinking about though. I don't know if fate exists, or if everything is just coincidence. I found you, though, even though everything was working against me. I don't know what that means. I just know that it happened. It's just something to think about, I guess. It's a nice thought, too, that there's something out there guiding us towards something better. _

_I don't know what I'm expecting to come from sending this letter. I obviously can't force you to respond. I have no idea what you'll say if you do. I don't know if you miss me or if you think about me or if you even want to talk to me at all. You probably don't, or why else would you have refused to let your mother give your address to me? I don't know._

_Here's what I do know. I miss you. It's a fact that I've been denying since you left, but there it is. I needed to write this letter to you. I don't know why, but I just felt like it was something I had to do. I'd like to hear from you, even if it's just a line telling me to leave you alone. You'll do what you want to though. You always do. I'm putting my Yale address on the envelope, so you can write to me there. You could write to Stars Hollow too if you really felt like it, or you could call. Or, you could pretend that this letter never came and forget all about me. I guess that's all up to you. _

_Until next time (assuming there is a next time),_

_Rory_

Jess reread the letter for the fifth time since its arrival. His mouth was completely dry and he was incapable of coherent thought. He couldn't believe that he was reading a letter from Rory, a letter that she'd written and sent to him after finding out where he was purely by accident. A letter that specifically said that she missed him and was thinking about him.

What was he supposed to do now? His first instinct was to tear up the letter and forget about it, just as Rory knew it would be. He resisted the urge though, and instead read the letter again. The words _I miss you_ burned into his brain until he could see nothing else. She missed him.

She missed him? Why? What on Earth was she thinking? He'd messed up. He ruined everything and then ran away from all the messes that he made. He left so much wreckage that, she said it herself, it took going to Europe and coming back to make her feel better.

He hurt her. He knew it and she knew it. It was the reason he ran. Seeing anything but a smile on her face was torture. He didn't want to hurt her. He hated the fact that he had. So he ran. Didn't she get that? That he had absolutely nothing to offer her? What was she trying to do?

Jess picked up the letter with every intention of crumpling it into a ball and throwing it away. His hands started to shake though, and he lowered it back down again. He couldn't throw it away, no matter how much his head was telling him to do so.

Sasha walked past his open door and leaned against the frame, watching as his brow furrowed with deep concentration. "Whatcha got there?" She asked with a small smile.

Jess looked up at Sasha and said, "Rory found me anyway."

Sasha raised one perfect eyebrow. "Rory? That's the girl's name, huh?"

Jess nodded, his eyes going back to the letter in his hands. "Yup."

"And she found you? Without your mom's help?"

Jess nodded again. _Here's what I do know. I miss you._ Why did she have to go and write that? Why did she have to go and feel it? Why did he still miss her too?

Sasha saw Jess's eyes go soft as he read part of the letter. "I think it's time to jump off that fence, kiddo. Fate wants you on our side."

Jess looked up with a tight smirk. "Did you need something, Sasha?"

Sasha just smirked in response to Jess's tight, distant tone. After living with him for about six months, she was used to his sudden mood swings and his refusal to talk about things for no reason other than he found them uncomfortable. He'd been doing better with opening up, especially to her, but that didn't really mean much. He was just like his father. He could shut all emotion off at the drop of a hat.

"Fine, go all Angsty Boy on me. Big surprise there." Sasha teased, smiling. "I've gotta go out, and Lily's still sick."

"Has her fever gone down yet?" Jess asked, despite himself.

Sasha bit her lip to hide her smile. He could play disconnected, discontent rebel all he wanted, but he cared deeply about the people in his life, though he'd never admit it.

"Still at 103." Sasha responded. "Can you just keep an eye on her while I'm out?"

Jess nodded, putting the letter on the end table next to his mattress. "Yeah, no problem."

"Thanks, doll face." Sasha said, smiling at him. "If she's feeling well enough to eat, you can make her some soup."

Jess nodded again, standing up.

"I'll be back in an hour or two." Sasha said, grabbing her keys from the kitchen table and walking out the door.

Jess walked over to Lily's room and looked in at her. She was curled up under her blankets, fast asleep. Jess walked back into the kitchen and sat at the table, opening the book that was sitting there. He began to read, but his thoughts were still on Rory and the fact that he had no idea what to do now.

Part of him wanted to write back to her. Part of him wanted to call her and hear her voice. And a huge part of him wanted to run back to Stars Hollow, take her in his arms, and never let her go. That was the part that he didn't allow to talk very often.

Rory's letter talked about fate, and Jess really wanted to believe in that right now. He wanted to believe that there was some force out there pushing him and Rory together. She seemed to want to believe it too. He just didn't know if he was capable of doing something about this feeling, if he could muster up the courage to face all the mistakes he'd made. He didn't know anything, except that he missed Rory too.

"Jess?" A small, female voice said from the doorway.

Jess turned around in his chair to look at Lily. Her blonde hair was unwashed and up in a high, messy ponytail. She was in her pajamas, and she had a blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Her glasses were in her hand instead of on her face.

"Hey, Lily. How you feeling?" He asked.

"My eyes hurt." She said quietly, her voice hoarse from her illness.

"Ok…" Jess said unsurely.

"I can't read." She said, frowning.

"Ah." Jess said, realizing what a great tragedy this was to Lily.

"Will you…?" Lily started, unsure of how Jess would answer.

"Geez." Jess said, wondering when he started to like this girl enough to do things for her. "Yeah. Grab a book, I'll be right in. One that doesn't suck." He clarified as she turned and went back to her room.

Jess walked in and Lily was lying back in her bed with a book in her hands. Jess sat on the edge of her bed and said, "Let's have it."

Lily handed Jess the thin, paperback volume and he saw that it was _Howl_. His eyes darted from the book and back to Lily. This had to be some kind of sick joke.

"Where did you get this?" He asked.

Lily shrugged. "I've had it forever. I love Ginsberg. So does mom."

Jess mumbled, "Geez" as he stared at the book's cover. He opened it and started reading aloud to Lily, but the only thing he was hearing in his own mind was _Do you believe in fate?_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **None of it mine

**A/N: **This chapter is dedicated to Leigh (Lipton Lee. If you don't read her stuff, go now! She's amazing!). Not only is she my partner in crime (err, lit!fluff), but she also has amazing and extremely helpful ideas. Hugs for Leigh! Also, everyone should listen to **The Pink Spiders**. They're amazing, and they're CD Teenage Graffiti is pretty much the soundtrack to Jess's life as far as I'm concerned. Enjoy! Review!

**Chasing Fate---Chapter 6**

_Dear Rory,-_

Jess looked at the salutation and shook his head. His first instinct was to put "Dear" in the beginning, but it looked wrong and it didn't feel natural to have it there. He tore the piece of paper out of his notebook and started again.

_Rory,_

_I got your letter_.

Jess looked at that opening sentence and became mildly frustrated with himself. Obviously he got her letter! Why else would he be writing to her? He sighed and started on a fresh piece of paper.

_Rory, _

_Thank you for writing to me._

Jess wrinkled his nose in complete disgust with himself. No way. No way in Hell did he actually just _thank her_ for writing that letter. This was why he didn't write letters. He completely sucked at this. Writing a letter was an extremely personal matter, and he did not do well with extremely personal matters. He tore the paper in two pieces put his head in his hands. After a moment, he decided to try again.

_Rory,_

_I really don't know what I should say to you. I don't have an answer to any of the questions in your letter. At least nothing besides "I don't know." I can't explain anything that transpired between us. I don't know that I would if I could. Nothing that happened makes any sense to me, except the part where I let you down. That part seems pretty self-explanatory. _

_I know this is the part where I'm supposed to apologize. I want to, but I can't make myself write the words. Part of me still thinks that I did what I had to do, even though I know I did it wrong. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I wasn't supposed to find you. That sounds wrong. Everything I've ever done, it's never hurt anyone but me. I wasn't ready for that to change and I couldn't handle it when it did._

_Wow, that was honest. I don't know where that came from. It's true, but to actually see it written there is new. I never wanted you to think about me after I left. I didn't want you to hurt. I just wanted a clean break. Not because I didn't want you anymore, but because I just kept screwing up and I thought I could fix that if I left, I guess. Maybe I'm just making up excuses. _

_I don't even know why I'm writing you back. This letter serves no purpose. All it's doing is proving what a screw up that I am. I thought maybe that if I just let myself write, maybe I'd actually find something meaningful to say. I guess I failed though. Maybe you shouldn't write me again. _

Before he could commit to signing the letter, Jess reread it and found himself annoyed with it. All those paragraphs and sentences, and not one of them was able to properly convey what he was trying to say. Of course, that probably had a lot to do with the fact that he had no idea what he was trying to say. Was he apologizing? Blowing her off? His message was completely muddled within the sheet of notebook paper, but not as jumbled as it was within his own mind. Everything he wanted to say was on that paper, but it all came out so wrong.

He looked tiredly at the piece of paper and crumpled it into a ball, tossing it onto the table. This was useless. There was no way he could write something long and meaningful without absolutely hating himself for it afterwards.

Jess looked down at the blank sheet of paper in front of him and stared until all the lines blurred together. Then, in a moment of complete clarity, he began to write.

_Rory,_

_The moment I can give you any sort of answer, I will. Until then, please don't contact me again._

Jess looked at the message critically. He was happy with the brevity of it, but the last line seemed harsher than he'd intended it. The page joined the others in the pile and Jess finally settled on the final draft of his letter.

_Rory,_

_The moment I can give you any sort of answer, I will. _

_There will be a next time,_

_Jess_

Jess sighed in relief at the final version. It was short, didn't get painfully intimate, and still let her know that he cared, at least enough to reply to her deeply personal and confusing letter.

Jess folded the letter and tucked it into the waiting envelope. He carefully wrote Rory's name and school address on the front, trying to ignore the strange feeling it gave him to have it staring back up at him. He'd mail it right now. He went to his room to grab his jacket, and when he came out Sasha and Jimmy had entered the kitchen, bringing an argument along with them.

"You're going." Sasha said definitively, hopping up on the kitchen counter and staring at Jimmy.

"You've never met her! You don't know!" Jimmy said. "She's insane."

"She's your family, Jimmy." Sasha responded, looking at Jess and winking at him. "And you take care of family. You are going."

Jess smirked. Sasha had a serious tone in her voice, which meant that she was going to win this argument.

"It's so easy to make a decision like that when you aren't going to have to suffer." Jimmy said, taking off his hat and tossing it on the table in frustration.

Sasha sighed and took his hand. "Jimmy, my love, my soul mate, this woman helped raise you. You're all the family that she has left. She never asks you for anything. You're really going to deny her this favor?" She released his hand and said, "Then you aren't the man I thought you were."

Jess's smirk turned into an actual smile as he tried to contain his laughter. She had him now. Whatever she was trying to get him to do, he was trapped now.

Jimmy sighed, "That's not fair, Sash."

Sasha shrugged. "That's life." She nodded at Jess. "Take your kid with ya. Deflect some of her madness onto you."

"Whoa, what?" Jess asked, putting his hands up. "I'm just standing here."

Jimmy turned and seemed to be studying Jess. "That's not a bad idea. Up for a little East Coast adventure, kid?"

Sasha smiled triumphantly and Jess stared blankly at the two of them.

Jimmy sat at the table and sighed, "My Aunt Victoria wants me to go to Massachusetts so she can make out her will. She wants me to spend a few days there with her, go through her house, pick what I want her to leave me and then she wants me to witness her will. How morose is that?" He looked up pleadingly at Sasha, who shook her head.

"Why you?" Jess asked. Maybe he could help Jimmy double team Sasha so neither of them would have to go to Massachusetts.

"My mom's dead, and Aunt Victoria took me in after she died. There was just the two of them, and Aunt Victoria never got married or anything." Jimmy said with a shrug. "It's just me." As he said it, he realized there was no way Sasha was going to let him out of this family obligation. He smiled at Jess, knowing that he could at least drag him along for the ride. "Me and you."

"No. No way." Jess shook his head. "She's never even met me."

"But she'll want to!" Sasha exclaimed. "Won't she, Jimmy?"

Jimmy nodded, but seemed unsure. "I guess." He said.

"Jimmy, come on, man." Jess said. "Don't make me do this."

Jimmy shrugged with a smirk similar to the one that his son usually wore. "Sorry, kid. You wanted to live here. You're gonna suffer along with me. We leave next week."

Jess sighed, annoyed. There was no way he was getting out of this. They were playing on his fear of getting kicked out, and it was working. He was going to have to do this for Jimmy.

Jess scowled and picked up the letter he was going to mail. "You suck." He growled as he walked out of the door.

Jimmy turned to Sasha and said, "He's wrong. I don't suck. _You_ suck. That woman is _crazy_, Sasha."

Sasha's smile was small and knowing. "Relax, Jimmy. It's gonna be a good trip." She seemed lost in her thoughts for a moment before she added, "For both of you."

Jimmy saw her eyes go dreamy and pointed. "Hey, what's that look? What are you planning?"

Sasha raised her hands in the air as she shrugged. "Don't look at me, pal." She said, hopping off the kitchen counter. She wrapped her arms around Jimmy's neck and gave him a quick kiss. "There's a much bigger force at work here." She bounced out of the kitchen, leaving Jimmy standing there looking confused.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: None of it mine

** A/N: **Thanks as always for being awesome reviewers. You all rock. This chapter...sigh, I'll never be happy with it because I'll never get it as long as I want to without completely taking away from the story at hand. Anyway, I hope you like it!

**Chasing Fate--Chapter 7**

"No way." Jess muttered as Jimmy pulled their rented car up to a large, domineering stone house.

Jimmy put the car into park and shut it off. He leaned over the steering wheel and looked up at the house. He sighed. "Way."

"This looks like it's out of a bad horror movie." Jess said, staring at the ivy covering parts of the house. "You _lived_ here?"

Jimmy nodded. "Yeah. For about two years. Then I turned 18 and ran for my life." He slapped Jess on the shoulder and said, "History repeats itself, huh, kid?"

"Geez." Jess growled, pulling away from Jimmy. He got out of the car and slammed the door. Arms crossed, he leaned against the car and continued to look at the house.

Jimmy got out of the car and stood next to Jess. Jess pushed himself away from the car and said, "Let's get this over with." He started to walk up the driveway.

"Jess." Jimmy said, "Just a sec."

Jess stopped. "What?" He asked, annoyed and disinterested.

Jimmy hesitated and said, "Victoria is…well, she's different."

Jess raised an eyebrow. "Different like 'a woman trapped in a man's body' different?"

"No." Jimmy said, smirking and shaking his head. "That might make things easier. She's a heinous bitch, Jess." He blurted.

"What? How heinous?"

"Pretty much the most awful woman alive." Jimmy said with a nod. "She hates everyone. She's mean, sarcastic, judgmental…I could go on. I guess…Ma said she used to be normal, but then her fiancé died and…I don't know. Ma didn't like to talk about it, and then she died and I was _not_ going to ask Aunt Victoria." He shuddered as he said her name.

Jess rolled his eyes. "Geez, Jimmy. She's a 65-year-old woman. How bad can she be? Can we just get this over with please?"

"Yeah." Jimmy said, staring at his son's back with a smirk. This was going to be fun.

The Mariano men stood in front of the front door and Jimmy rang the bell, standing up straight and clasping his hands behind his back. He looked at Jess, who was leaning against a column, looking bored. Before Jimmy could warn him though, the door opened. Victoria Rossi stood there, staring at them. She was tall, she stood about two inches taller than Jess, and her stiff posture drew great attention to that fact. Her dark brown hair was streaked with silver, and it fell down her back. She looked younger than 65, but at the same time she looked…tired, as though life had become too much and she was sick of dealing with it. Her big green eyes were dull with that same tired look.

"James." She said, nodding at him.

"Hello, Aunt Vicki." Jimmy said. He took a step towards her and planted an awkward kiss on her cheek.

Jess raised an eyebrow as he observed that while she'd used his full name, he had shortened hers to an endearment. His family was nothing short of bizarre. It took Jess a moment to realize that his great aunt was staring at him.

"What's that?" She asked, her eyes burning a hole into Jess.

"This is Jess." Jimmy said, clearing his throat. "My son."

Victoria took a few steps until she was standing right in front of him. "Your son?" She asked dryly. "When did that happen?"

"About 19 years ago." Jess said, rolling his eyes. He felt a sharp, painful sting on his cheek and it took him a moment to realize that she had slapped him across the face.

Jess looked straight at her for the first time, but her expression gave away nothing. She continued to look at him with that same stoicism, as if she hadn't just slapped him.

"Smart mouth." She said, not speaking to anyone but herself. Then, she turned to Jimmy and said, "He got that from you. Come in. You can get your bags later."

"We didn't bring bags." Jimmy said, causing his aunt to stop. "We're staying at a hotel in town."

"No, you're not." Victoria said, not turning around. "You can go back to the hotel and get your things, but you'll be staying here. I made arrangements already."

Jess looked at Jimmy, sure he was going to put up a fight. "Alright." Jimmy said, following his aunt into the house.

"Jimmy, man." Jess said. "Come on."

Jimmy grabbed Jess's arm and pulled him towards her. "Please don't make her mad."

"What are you girls doing?" Victoria demanded, swinging around with her arms crossed over her chest. "You look ridiculous."

"Sorry." Jimmy said, snapping back to attention.

Victoria led them into her living room. "I thought you were bringing…that woman you live with. Not-" She stared at the two pointedly, "Your _son_." She said the word sharply, with a hint of disgust.

"Sasha couldn't get away." Jimmy offered. "Lily hasn't been feeling well."

"Ah, yes. Her daughter." Victoria nodded and sat down. "Quiet a growing family you seem to have. Sit." She commanded. The two did as they were told, sitting awkwardly on a sofa.

"So, Jess." Victoria turned to him and asked, "Who's your mother?"

"What?" Jess asked. He really had no idea how to react to this woman. She really _was_ horribly mean and bitter to the point where he didn't know how to handle himself without getting slapped again.

"Your mother. The woman my nephew procreated with to create the embryo that eventually became you." Victoria said.

"Liz Danes." Jess said, looking at Jimmy just in time to see him lower his head and awkwardly rub the back of his neck.

"Liz Danes." Victoria repeated. "The one from New York?"

Jess nodded. "Yeah." Victoria's head snapped up and he amended it to, "Yes, ma'am. I'm from New York originally."

"Originally." Victoria parroted, eyes burning into Jess as she waited for him to continue.

"I lived in Stars Hollow Connecticut for a while." Jess said uncomfortably. "Then I moved to California with Jimmy."

Victoria nodded and the distinct whistling of a teakettle drew her attention away from Jess. "That's the tea. James." She nodded at her nephew, who stood up to go get it.

"There was a girl in Stars Hollow." Victoria said bluntly, staring at Jess. His head shot up and he looked completely taken aback. "What?"

Victoria didn't repeat herself. She just stared at Jess and nodded, as if something she saw in his eyes confirmed her statement. Jess didn't know how to respond, so he just sat there. It seemed that all of the women in Jimmy's life were extremely empathetic, with the exception of Liz.

Jimmy came back in, looking extremely awkward and uncomfortable as he held a tray with three teacups on it. "I see you're still using the antique china, Aunt Vicki." Jimmy said as he placed the tea on the table.

"It's in perfect condition." Victoria said with a shrug. "If you want it, I'll will it to you. I can't take it with me. I doubt that I would if I could. I don't like the china that much, but inheriting things is much cheaper than buying them yourself."

Jess swallowed a laugh. He had a feeling that his great Aunt Vicki didn't like it when people laughed in her presence. In fact, he had a feeling that she didn't like it too much when people _breathed_ in her presence.

"I know you two don't want to be here." Victoria said. "And that's fine. Today, I'll show you around the house. James, I sure you remember some of what I have, but I've acquired some new things in the, oh, eighteen years since you've come to see me. And _Jess_, I guess since I know that I have a great nephew now, you get to be in my will too. So you can look around, see if you want anything."

Jess shook his head. "Thanks, but I'm just along for the ride. I don't need anything."

Victoria laughed at that, but said nothing else on the matter. She began to drink her tea, prompting them to do the same. "Tomorrow, you will go through the house by yourselves and make lists of the things you want. _Detailed _lists. 'That vase in the room' will not be accepted. The day after that, James, you'll come with me to the lawyer's office and witness my will."

Jimmy nodded. "That all sounds fine, Aunt Vicki."

The three finished their tea in silence, and then Victoria stood. "Well, then, let's get this over with, yes? Then you can go back into the city, get your things, do whatever it is an estranged father and son do in Massachusetts. I don't really want to think about it."

She began leading them around her home, pointing out objects of value and letting them know what they were worth. Jimmy looked around intently, if only to appease his aunt. Jess just stared blankly at everything, until they came to a room completely filled with books.

Jimmy sighed and smiled, "The library." He said brightly, then whispered to Jess, "The best memory I have of this place."

"Really, James? The hearing hasn't gone yet. Gossip like little girls in your own time. There are a bunch of first editions against that wall over there." Victoria waved her hand carelessly.

Jess immediately walked over to the wall of books she gestured towards and ran his hand along the spines. "You have a first edition of, geez, it looks like all of Hemingway's novels. And these are Dickens, and Oscar Wilde, Tolstoy, James Joyce…" Jess looked at all the classic works that were staring back at him. There didn't seem to be an end to her literature collection.

Victoria nodded and her voice was momentarily quiet. "They were Peter's. You can have whatever you want, except The Dubliners. _That_ is coming with me." The next time she spoke, her voice returned to its normal harsh and no-nonsense tone. "You can make a list tomorrow. We're moving on."

--

It was about 1 AM when Jess walked into Victoria's library and turned on the light. He walked over to the stacks of books and picked The Dubliners off the shelf. He sat down on an old sofa and began to read. His great aunt might be a psychotic bitch, but at least he was going to get his hands on all of these books one day.

"Sneaking downstairs to read." Victoria's voice bit out. "Couldn't you at least be smoking or doing something rebellious?"

Jess looked up at her, and pulled a back of cigarettes out of his back pocket. "I didn't see an ashtray." He knew she smoked because he could smell it on every piece of furniture in the house. Victoria walked over to the desk and pulled an ashtray out of the drawer. She dropped it on the table and said, "For every ash I find on that couch, I will make your life miserable."

"I'm good there." Jess said, looking at his book.

"Oh, boohoo. You're 19. You haven't had a chance to mess up your life yet." Victoria sat on the couch and took one of his cigarettes.

Jess rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Aww…" She said sarcastically. "Daddy walked out when you were a baby, no one ever treated you right, drugs and alcohol too tempting, get sent away, fall in love, fuck it up, run away. Poor little boy with all his little boy problems." She pulled a lighter out of her robe pocket and lit her cigarette.

"Geez, what the fuck is your malfunction?" Jess asked, pulling out a cigarette of his own.

Victoria's eyes widened and she looked ready to slap him again.

"No, you don't get to hit me for being insolent." Jess said. "You want to be heinous, I don't care. I'm pretty difficult myself. But I _know_ why I'm the way I am. What the Hell happened to you?"

Victoria stared him down for a moment, then decided to answer his question. "I was engaged to be married when I was 23. When I was 25, Peter died." She stopped for a moment, and she actually smiled for a moment. "I waited my whole life to be in love, and then it was gone. Car accident." She took a drag of her cigarette.

Jess responded by smoking his own cigarette. He released a cloud of smoke and said, "And that justifies it?"

"I don't make any effort to justify it." Victoria said. She tilted her head and said, "Actually, no one's ever asked so I've never had to. I haven't been happy since he died. I'm not going to pretend that I am." She smirked, and Jess was shocked at how familiar it looked. "I'm way too bitter for that."

"Huh." Jess said. "So why didn't you try…"

"To find someone else?" Victoria rolled her eyes. "Stupid boy. When it's love, it's love. You really think you get more than one shot at it? Don't you believe in fate?"

"What?" Jess yelped, surprised at her words.

"Fate. Meeting the one person you were destined to meet. Being with them. You really think you can meet someone who completes you, lose them, and find someone else who just happens to also complete you? Like there's a spare if you break the first?" She shook her head. "You're dumber than your father, and kid, that's saying something."

Jess was silent. A joke. This was all a big cosmic joke. _Do you believe in fate?_ Maybe he should start, because fate seemed to be going to great lengths to prove its case.

"How far is Connecticut from here?" He asked, closing the book and handing it to his aunt.

She looked at it and smiled. "This was Peter's favorite. The Connecticut border is about twenty minutes away from here."

"Huh." Jess said thoughtfully. "Good to know."

"Jesus." Victoria said, standing up and rolling her eyes. "I feel bad for whatever girl you fell in love with. She's in for a ride. Shut off the lights when you're done."


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **None of it mine.

**A/N: **Woot! This is the final chapter, with the epilogue to follow shortly. This was a fun little thing for me to write, and I hope y'all enjoyed it. Reviews are fab!**  
**

**Chasing Fate--Chapter 8**

Rory dropped her pencil with a sigh as she began to sort through a pile of books in search for the one she needed. As she did, her eyes involuntarily scanned the piece of paper she'd pushed to the back of her desk.

_Rory,_

_The moment I can give you any sort of answer, I will. _

_There will be a next time,_

_Jess_

The thing that always frustrated her about Jess was his refusal to promise anything. It hurt her that he wasn't willing to commit to anything. Then the one guarantee he'd ever made, _I'll call you_,was a guarantee that he had never been able to deliver. It was no wonder that she was afraid to equate the word _promise_ with the word _Jess_.

This letter, though, was definitively a promise that he was making to her. _The moment I can give you any sort of answer, I will._ If he had just left it at that, the meaning would've been completely different. It wouldn't have been Jess, promising her that this wasn't over. It would've been Jess, blowing her off and subtly telling her to leave him alone.

That closing though, that play on her own words, that was so…him. It was a way to say something without actually having to express some sort of sentiment. It was a promise in the only way Jess could make one. It was a small sign of all the things she knew (or at least hoped) existed within him.

_There will be a next time_. Rory touched the words with her index finger, following the path of his sprawled, slightly slanted script. What did it mean? Was he changing for the better? Was he genuinely interested in reconnecting with her? Or did he just want to make amends and put her behind him. She knew that she was getting her hopes up over nothing, and that the odds where she'd never see Jess again. She wasn't quite ready to handle that though, and she much preferred the thought that fate was going to push them back together again when she least expected it.

Rory sighed and grabbed the book she'd originally been looking for. She was so stupid, and she knew she was just relying so heavily on this because her love life was so pathetic. Each first date she went on was worse than the one before, and she didn't want to have to go weeding out the wrong guys to find the right one. She didn't want anymore first dates. She wanted twenty-fifth dates and fiftieth dates. She wasn't necessarily positive that she wanted them to be with Jess, but she was thinking about it more than she should have.

He'd hurt her. He'd lied to her and he was insensitive and he had so much going on in his head that there was too little room for her in his heart. But there'd always been something more than that to her. It always seemed like, maybe, even though she couldn't see it, he was trying to change. Sometimes she thought that he genuinely loved her, and she wasn't ready to admit that she was wrong about that.

"Rory!" Paris's sharp voice called from the common room of their suite. "Is it safe to come in there?"

"Umm, I'm not naked if that's what you mean." Rory said, confused.

"Well that's all well and good, but I'm referring to THAT!" Paris said as she entered the room. Rory looked up and saw that she was pointing directly at the piece of paper in her hands.

"What are you talking about?" Rory asked sheepishly, dropping the letter.

"You've been staring at that letter like it's the solution to fixing the flawed Electoral College for three days now." Paris said, putting her hands on her hips.

"You're exaggerating, Paris." Rory turned crimson red and opened her book.

"God, just tell the Unwashed Beatnik to get lost, will ya? After his great disappearing act, you're still making eyes at that pathetic excuse for a letter."

Rory sighed. "It is much more complicated than that, Paris."

"You dated. He ran. Where is complicated? Two succinct sentences." Paris walked over to her desk and started milling through her own papers.

"You don't think love is a little more complicated than that?" Rory asked, turning to look at Paris.

Paris wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Ugh, love? With Bukowski?"

Rory shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know. Do you believe in fate, Paris?"

Paris stared at Rory and said, "Are you serious? Our love lives predestined so we get _one_ person who loves us unconditionally forever? Yeah. I believe in fate. I also believe that tiny little leprechauns are going to show up with a pot of gold and offer to carry me to my next class."

"But-." Rory started.

"No buts! You made a bad choice in guys, Gilmore. Don't go blaming it on some unknown force." Paris exclaimed, standing as someone knocked on the door to the suite. She walked out to the common room but continued to yell back to Rory. "Just move on already and save us all the sad puppy faces! Get a new boyfriend or at least get yourself someone to sleep with!"

Paris threw open the door, revealing Jess standing there with his hands jammed in the pockets of his leather jacket. "Paris." He said with an awkward nod.

Paris looked back and forth from Jess to the door to Rory's room a few times before asking, "Did you guys rehearse?"

"What?" Jess asked, shaking his head at her in confusion.

"Because you really have a sense of timing. You should take the act on the road." Paris said, acting as though he hadn't spoken.

Rory leaned sideways in her chair and peeked her head out the door, "Who is…Jess." She finished, tipping over and bracing herself with her arm before she could fall to the ground.

Jess was tempted to smile at the sight of her, shocked and short-haired and falling out of her seat, but he settled for a small smirk instead. "Hey."

Rory scrambled to get back into standing position and threw herself into the common room with great force. "Hey." She said. With one appraising glance she took in his leather jacket, his skinny frame, and the crazy hair she liked so much. The corners of her mouth tugged up in a smile that she mercilessly fought against.

Paris looked at them both again before shaking her head. "I'm going to the library. Things still make sense there." She collected her stuff and was out the door before either noticed.

"Jess…what…?" Rory said, unable to form a complete thought.

"I was in Massachusetts. Jimmy and I, we came to see my great aunt. Man, you think Mrs. Kim is scary…" He trailed off. Since when did he babble?

"And you…came here." Rory crossed her arms across her chest, feeling extremely awkward.

Jess nodded. "Yeah."

"You came here." Rory repeated, extremely aware of her mouth and how strange she felt.

"Jimmy and Victoria had all this legal stuff to do. This seemed like a better use of time." Jess said.

"Oh." Rory said, looking at her feet. "So…do you wanna…sit?" The sentence seemed to talk a very long time for her to form.

Jess tried not to look too shocked by her offer. Part of him was expecting her to throw him out without listening to anything. Even though she had written him, he was still approaching this situation with extreme caution. He didn't know how she was going to react to him just showing up, and he didn't like not knowing. He didn't answer her question, but instead walked over to the couch and sat on it.

"Nice couch." He said casually.

Rory nodded. "My grandma bought it for me." She looked down at her shaking hands and tried to stop their movements. She went and sat on the couch, as far away from him as possible.

Jess leaned towards her and said, "This is weird."

Rory nodded her agreement. "How's California?"

Jess shrugged. "Warm. OK. It's not home, but it's good."

_It's not home_. Rory looked at him and asked, "Where is home?"

Jess shrugged. "Who knows? How's Yale?"

"Big." Rory said. "Hard. Great. I love it."

Jess watched her mouth curve into an easy smile as she tucked her short hair behind her ears. He wanted to run his hand through her hair and pull her to him and kiss her smiling mouth. He wasn't allowed to do that anymore though. It was no longer acceptable for him to share in her happiness via kissing her senseless.

"I got your letter." Rory blurted out after a moment of tense silence.

"Then you obviously know I got yours." Jess said. "Thanks."

"For what?" Rory asked, confused. She uncomfortably crossed her legs at the knee and put her hands in her lap, trying desperately not to look him in the eye. She had made the mistake of catching his eye when she first saw him, and it resulted in her falling out of her chair. She knew that if she met his eyes again, she was going to want to kiss him and that would be highly inappropriate.

Jess shrugged. "For not hating me, I guess."

"I do hate you." Rory said, her voice unintentionally taking on an edge. "Sometimes."

"Ok." Jess said with a nod. "I hate me sometimes too."

"God, I pictured you coming back so many times. None of my scenarios were this awkward." Rory said, laughing uncomfortably.

Jess smirked a little, but didn't say that he felt the same way. He'd pictured this two ways. In the first, she fell into his arms without word or question. The second, and admittedly more likely scenario, involved a lot of profanity and him being thrown out in under five minutes.

From the corner of her eye, Rory saw him smirking and her heart stopped. Now that he was here, there seemed to be no question in her mind that she'd missed him as much as she thought she had.

"What am I doing here?" Jess pondered aloud.

"I don't know." Rory said. "But I'm not entirely upset that you're here."

"A little though." Jess said.

"Yeah, a little. Part of me wants to hit you."

"You can." Jess said with a shrug. "Probably deserve it."

"No probably about it." It wasn't bitter though, just factual.

"Your letter…the questions." Jess said.

"Yeah." Rory said, her hair falling in front of her face and hiding her from his view. "I didn't think you'd be able to answer them."

"I can't." Jess agreed. "But, I know you. I know the one you really wanted to ask." He sighed. He could feel his chest constricting at the thought of saying what he was about to say.

Rory stiffened. He was seriously bringing it up. She had a feeling that he'd notice the unasked question, but she couldn't believe he was going to answer it.

"I left because I'm an asshole." He said. "I panicked and I didn't want you to get hurt by me anymore. So, I ran."

Rory shook her head. "That was something you never got."

"What's that?" He asked.

Rory turned her body and her head to face him. She waited patiently until he met her eyes before saying, "It hurt so much more when you were gone."

Jess could feel himself drowning in her eyes and he murmured, "Sorry."

Rory sighed. "I don't want an apology. I-I don't know what I want."

"Me neither." Jess conceded. Now that they were looking at each other, he found it impossible to turn away from her stare. "Maybe I shouldn't have come here."

He stood and ducked his head so he wouldn't have to look at her as he walked towards the door.

"Do you believe in fate, Jess?" Her voice came from right behind him and her hand was on his shoulder. He had to resist the urge not to spin around and kiss her.

"Do you?" He demanded, not turning around.

She released his shoulder. "No." She said, and the honesty in her voice shocked the both of them. Jess went to take another step, but Rory quickly stepped in his way to stop him.

"But I do believe in you." She said quietly, bringing a hand up to softly stroke his cheek.

"Why?" Jess asked. He covered her hand with his and let it linger for a second too long before removing her hand and letting it fall.

"Because you came here." Rory said firmly. "Because even though you had _no_ idea what was going to happen or what you were going to say, you came here."

Her eyes filled with tears and she whispered, "You really have changed."

Jess shifted uncomfortably. "A little."

"I was beginning to think that…I was wrong about you. I wasn't." She smiled as a tear spilled over. "I wasn't."

"Rory…" Jess started, but he was cut off when Rory closed the gap between them and kissed him. First she kissed his cheek solemnly, stunning him into silence. Then, she dropped a kiss on his jaw line, causing him to tense up. Finally, she brought her hand back up to his cheek and caressed his skin softly as she gently found his lips with her own.

Jess responded hesitantly, his confusion overwhelming his desire to pull her closer. He placed a tentative hand on her waist and kissed her back before pulling away.

"Hi." He whispered.

"Hi." She parroted. "Welcome back."

The next kiss was on the other end of the spectrum. Rory brought her hands around Jess's neck and pulled her towards him. His hands found the small of her back as he backed her gently against the door. She moaned a little as his mouth found her neck, and she was delighted that he remembered the things his tongue did to her as he used it to lightly trace her collarbone.

"Jess." She whimpered. As though the sound of his own name freed Jess from a trance, he pulled himself away from Rory.

"What are we doing?" He demanded hoarsely, taking a few steps back.

Rory shook her head and ran her hands through her hair. "I don't know." She tried to clear her mind, even though the only thing she wanted to do was have Jess press himself against her again. "We broke up for a reason."

"Right." Jess nodded. "Because I was a fucking moron." He smirked tightly. "And that hasn't changed."

Rory knew just by looking at him that the statement wasn't completely accurate. However, there were subjects that needed to be addressed. "And you're in California now."

Jess nodded. "Not forever, but right now, yeah."

"And I'm here."

Jess nodded again.

"And you don't have a reason to come back."

Jess looked at Rory seriously and said, "Do you believe that or are you looking for a compliment?"

Rory turned a little red and said, "You're not going back to Stars Hollow."

Jess laughed a little. "No, no I'm not. But I'm not cut out for the West coast either."

"What are we doing?" Rory asked, mimicking Jess.

Jess shook his head. "I don't know. It doesn't feel wrong though."

"No, I'd call this the exact opposite of wrong." Rory agreed.

"It doesn't make sense though." Jess said, frustrated.

Rory stepped towards Jess and asked, "When have we ever?"

She wrapped her arms around him and continued, "I-I think I missed you."

Jess was silent for a moment. He couldn't let this go on. Nothing had been resolved, and he couldn't pretend that something had changed. He reluctantly stepped away from her and then said, "Yeah, me too."

"I love you." Rory blurted.

Jess's eyes grew wide and he shook his head. "Rory, no."

"You don't have to say it back, and it's not some ploy to get you to stay. You can go back to California and pretend that I never said it. I've been mulling over it for a while now and there it is. Fate, no fate, destiny or not, yeah, I love you." Rory released a long breath after her small speech.

Jess shook his head again. His chest was constricting again and he had to remind himself that breathing was a requirement. "Rory, no. _Nothing_ has changed."

"I'm not asking it to." Rory said.

"Yes, you are." Jess insisted.

"No!" Rory exclaimed, growing angry. "I'm not asking you for anything! You can walk out right now and never see me again. Do what you want."

"Do what I want." Jess repeated.

"Yeah." Rory said, turning her head away so he couldn't see her growing upset.

Jess closed the gap between himself and Rory and took her face in his hands. He lowered his mouth to hers and she responded immediately, parting her lips slightly and deepening the kiss. Her hands found his hair, and she was amazed that it felt exactly the same as she remembered.

Jess pulled away breathlessly and said, "I love you too."

"Huh." Rory said quietly.

"What?" Jess asked, reaching down to take her hand.

"It really does change everything." Rory responded with a smile, leaning in to kiss him again.


	9. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **As always, I own absolutely nothing

**A/N:** And, this the end! Hope you liked it :)

**Epilogue**

"Hi mom." Rory said, answering her cell phone.

"Come hoooooooome!" Lorelai whined.

Rory laughed. "It's Wednesday."

"Skip classes today!" Lorelai said.

"Let me put that another way." It's _Wednesday_. What's happening today?" Rory asked, putting books into her messenger bag.

"Oh." Lorelai said. "I'd blocked it out. You're already skipping classes today."

"Just one." She said defensively.

"Can't he find his way by himself?" Lorelai asked.

"Mom!" Rory said. "You promised to be nice about this."

"No I didn't. I promised not to talk you out of it, and believe you me it's been a hard one to keep."

"Well I appreciate it." Rory said with a smile.

"Eh, I like ya. What can I say? I just can't believe you actually conned him into moving back." Lorelai said.

"I didn't _con_ him into moving back. I've told you that." Rory said. "And it's not like he's moving back to Stars Hollow."

"Thank God for small favors." Lorelai said. "What time are you going?"

"His plane lands in Hartford in an hour and a half, so soon." Rory said, smiling at the thought. Jimmy had loaned him enough money to get himself a small apartment in Hartford. He was going to have to find a job immediately and work his ass off to keep it, but he wanted to do it.

"You sound so happy." Lorelai commented.

"I am." Rory said. "You know that."

"Know, yes. Understand, not quite yet. It all seems so unbelievable. I mean, he hurt you so bad, kid."

"Yeah, I know." Rory said. She knew that no matter how many times she tried to explain it, her mom was never going to be able to comprehend that she and Jess were back together. "I can't explain it any better, mom. It just feels…right."

"Yeah, yeah." Lorelai said, still unsure. "Oh, hi Luke! C'mon in. Luke's here to fix the banister."

"What'd you do to the banister?" Rory asked.

"The question should be, 'what did the banister do to my pretty black boots?'" Lorelai said, and Rory could hear the pout in her voice.

"Say no more. Hey, could I talk to Luke for a second."

"Sure…" Lorelai said confused. "Rory wants to talk to you for a sec."

There was a muffled noise as the phone changed hands and Luke's gruff voice said, "Rory, hi."

"Hey Luke. Jess is coming back today." Rory announced happily.

"Yeah, I know." Luke said. "We're having lunch next week. Not quite sure how that's gonna go, but we're gonna give it a try."

Rory laughed a little. "That's great."

"Yeah." Luke said, and the phone call lapsed into an awkward silence.

"Luke?" Rory said.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"I really think there is fate out there, pushing people together."

"Yeah, well, I don't…" Luke trailed off. "Who knows? Maybe."

"Maybe." Rory agreed, realizing that was probably the best answer to that question.

"If there was ever proof, I guess it's you two." Luke said. By his vagueness, it was obvious that Lorelai was listening.

"Thanks for everything, Luke." Rory said. "There's gotta be some good karma in your future for this."

"We'll see." Luke responded. "Here's your mom."

"What was that about?" Lorelai asked.

"Nothing." Rory said. "Just a thing." There was a knock on her dorm room door.

"I've gotta go, Mom. Someone's here and I have to get to the airport."

"OK, call me later." Lorelai said. She sounded ready to hang up but then asked, "You're really happy?"

"Yeah, mom." Rory said. She was used to answering this question.

"OK then. Bye babe."

"Bye."

Rory grabbed her messenger bag and walked over to the door. No matter who was at the door, she was kicking them out and heading to the airport.

Rory opened the door and revealed a very disheveled Jess.

"Jess!" Rory exclaimed, dropping her bag and wrapping her arms around him.

"Hey." He said, kissing her deeply on the mouth.

"What are you doing here? Your flight doesn't land for over an hour."

Jess shrugged. "Yeah, I lied. Wanted to surprise you."

Rory hugged him again and pulled him into her dorm. "I wanted to pick you up, though! And now we have to go all the way _back_ to Hartford so we can set up your place."

Jess shrugged. "I didn't say it was the best plan. I got an earlier flight, and I wanted to see you."

Rory smiled and took his hands. She kissed him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. They moved to the couch and Rory crawled into Jess's lap. She kissed his neck and he tightened his grip on her waist.

"This is nice." Rory murmured against his neck.

"More than nice." Jess said, trailing his hands up and down her arms.

"How did we get so lucky?" Rory demanded.

"I dunno." Jess murmured, pressing a kiss to the sensitive spot under her earlobe. "Chalk it up to fate."

Rory smiled at his sentiment, enjoying the fact that his sarcasm couldn't hide the fact that he meant it.


End file.
